Can a Catholic and Protestant relationship work? For Briana and Oriol, it did, and it overcame a few other obstacles too. Briana is a Protestant from Atlanta, Georgia. Oriol is a Catholic from Catalonia, Spain. When they met on SALT, a language barrier and thousands of miles kept them firmly in the friend zone. What happened next is a story of patience, a few leaps of faith, and a love they say knows no borders. Here it is, in their own words.
Briana and Oriol’s Story
I, Briana, an American residing in the United States, connected with Oriol, a Catalan Spaniard hailing from Spain, through the platform SALT.
There were plenty of reasons for us to think it would never become anything more. Oriol’s English wasn’t very strong at the time, we lived in two different countries, and the distance between us felt intimidating. We also came from different Christian traditions—he was Catholic and I was Protestant. So, naturally, we initially put each other firmly in the “friend zone.”
Oriol actually thought we probably wouldn’t talk much anymore after that. But thankfully, that wasn’t what happened.
Over the following months, we continued talking on and off. Our conversations went far beyond small talk. We discussed our faith, politics, the differences between our countries, history, and so many other things. Somewhere along the way, our friendship became something that neither of us expected.
I would sometimes find myself thinking, “Perhaps someday I will meet him.”
Meanwhile, we both experienced heartbreaking situations with other people. We became discouraged and, at different points, wondered if perhaps we were simply destined to remain single.
Then everything changed.
I decided to take my first trip to Europe to visit my older brother and his family in Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France. While I was traveling, I messaged Oriol and told him that I was in France.
His response was not what I expected.
He promptly booked an Airbnb and a train ticket and came to spend the final four days of my trip with me.
Those four days were simple but incredibly special. We went to the movies, visited museums, ate at restaurants, walked through parks, and simply enjoyed being together. And during those few days, we both began to realize something that had been quietly developing all along: our friendship had become something more.
Before we parted ways, we decided to take a chance and explore the possibility of a romantic relationship.
Then, just a few months later, Oriol made another huge leap of faith. He took his first flight ever and traveled all the way to Atlanta, Georgia, my home state in the United States, to spend Christmas with me.
He met my parents and some of my closest friends. We went to church together several times, went ice skating, and made countless memories. It was one of the most beautiful and romantic Christmases either of us had ever experienced. It honestly felt like a Hallmark movie had come to life.
Then we officially became a couple.
Only three months into dating, Oriol video-called my parents and asked them for their blessing to marry me. He already knew in his heart that I was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
We dated for four months.
Then Oriol proposed to me in a botanical garden called Parc Samà in Cambrils, on Spain’s beautiful Costa Dorada.
Five months later, we were married.
Soon we will celebrate our first wedding anniversary.
When we think about our story, we often say that we have a love that knows no borders. At the beginning, the distance between Spain and the United States seemed like an enormous obstacle. But when the person you care about is the person you are meant to be with, the distance suddenly becomes much less significant.
We are incredibly grateful that SALT was the place where our story began. Thank you for creating a space where two people who lived thousands of miles apart could meet, become friends, fall in love, and ultimately become husband and wife.
— Briana and Oriol
“Thank you for creating a space where two people who lived thousands of miles apart could meet, become friends, fall in love, and ultimately become husband and wife.”
SALT welcomes Christians from every tradition, and Briana and Oriol’s story shows why that matters. Their friendship grew through honest conversations about faith, culture and life, long before romance was on the cards. If you’re a single Christian who’s ever wondered whether difference has to mean distance, their story is worth holding on to. Download SALT and see who you might meet.
Read more SALT success stories.
Leave a Reply